Any other 'PCSO issues' that do not fit in to the other forums. Recruitment of PCSOs, day to day PCSO duties, questions about law, joining the regular police, becoming a special, anything else remotely PCSO orientated!!

Is anyone on this forum involved with a neighbourhood watch scheme? I am in the process of introducing it into one of my areas and was wondering if anyone else knows much about it. I believe it would have a positive impact especially with the farmers on my patch. It would be an extra set of eyes and ears looking out, as we have had a large number of farm machinery taken recently. If anyone is involved please let me know what you think.

Each scheme has a co-ordinator, they are given a manual, promotional leaflets, crime prevention leaflets etc.
It is there responsibility to canvas ther neighbours for support.

The co-ordinators are told to use the following contact methods,
emergency - 999
non emergency but requiring polic attendance - local force number
asb - 101

All of this is to be backed up on diary sheets which are forwarded to the local cso/nbm on a weekly basis.
I trawl through the sheets and fib up anything that is important.

In short the co-ordinator is the contact point for the rest of the scheme members and they in turn liase with ourselves.

I believe the stated aims of the scheme are -

To prevent crime By improving security, increasing vigilance, creating and maintaining a caring community and reducing opportunities for crime by increasing crime prevention awareness.

To assist the police in detecting crime By promoting effective communication and the prompt reporting of suspicious and criminal activity.

To reduce undue fear of crime By providing accurate information about risks and by promoting a sense of security and community spirit, particularly amongst the more vulnerable members of the community.

To improve police/community liaison By providing effective communications through systems such as the Neighbourhood Watch Ringmaster system, which warns Co-ordinators of local crime trends which they can disseminate to their scheme members, and by members informing the police of incidents when they occur.

You do however need to be wary of people joining up just to exploit the discount that some insurers give on home insurance.